A Mara's Life
by SwiftDragonfly
Summary: A little one shot of sorts. Dean unknowingly goes on a date with a supernatural creature, an alp. She's got a kid and a normal life... would a hunter kill her anyway? Be warned, it's pretty random.


**Author's Note**: I know, long time no write. I'm tempted to finish off my other story, the Leah one, but I'll probably get a lot of bad reviews for it, so I'm chickening out. Anyway this little tid bit has been floating in my head for awhile. There's more to the story, but this seemed like the best place to stop... It probably doesn't make much sense, but I felt like publishing it anyway. If anyone wants me to I'll continue it, but otherwise I'll keep it as it is. If you'd also like to ask me something about the story or about alps, review or message me.

**Alps:** An alp is a creature from old (I believe German) folklore. A female alp is usually called a Mara. They should be in the show because of how cool they are. Typically they're short shape shifters that sneak into your house at night and give you nightmares. They love milk and hate lemons. They can turn invisible, into a mist, certain animals and or a white butterfly, and can also turn into fruit. Typically they're pale and have unibrows. Although misseen as vampires, they are not, and are more closely related to elves. If you'd like to read more check out the club on deviantart or the page on wikipedia. Both are pretty good resources.

**Summary:** A little one shot of sorts. Dean unknowingly goes on a date with a supernatural creature, an alp. She's got a kid and a normal life... would a hunter kill her anyway? Be warned, it's pretty random.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Dean, nor Jensen Ackles. I wish I did, though. ;)

* * *

**Dating a Hunter**

_Defying our Nature_

"I had a _great_ time, Dean. The movie was excellent." I told him happily.

"Yeah... the ending was sure something, huh?" He asked, a cocky smile playing across his lips as he leaned in closer.

"Remind me, what happened again?" I requested in a low whisper. My eyes closed as his lips pressed against mine once more, a bubbly sensation building in my stomach as I pulled him closer. He pressed my back against the door, hands roaming my sides and slowly slipping up my shirt.

Reluctantly I pulled away, the need for air overpowering me and my conscious telling us to stop. His lips transferred to my neck, placing rough yet tender kisses on my skin. My breath hitched. His hands gripped my breasts, causing an involuntary moan to escape my lips.

Finally my hands listened to my conscious, the little voice in the back of my head, and gave him a soft push. "Dean... we can't. I'm sorry, but... I made it a rule for myself to not sleep with men on the first date." I said between my gasps of breath. Surprisingly he smiled, chuckled and backed away with his hands in the air. His green eyes sparkled, locking with my own.

"Alright... I see how it is. I wasn't charming enough for you-"

"You were a gentleman, and I had a great time with you. But no matter how much I like you, I'm not going to sleep with you just yet. That would make things too easy." I said with a smirk, and then added a playful wink. His own cocky smirk returned to his lips. God he's sexy.

"A girl with priorities, I like that. Next date I'll make sure to get you a big _juicy_ hamburger." He said, laughing when I made a disgusted face.

"_Jeez_, I can't wait. And maybe you'll let me let me drive your Impala to that place?" I countered, laughing when his smile faded.

"Second thought, we'll skip burgers." He joked. "Good night, Helena."

"Night, Dean." I replied with a wide smile, then opening the door I had previously been pressed against and slipped in.

My face paled slightly when my daughter, eleven and a half and proud, marched up to me with her arms crossed.

"What was that noise?" She demanded. A few strands of hair slipped from behind her ear, falling on her beautiful face. Her hair was mostly pulled back into a pony tail, dark brown and reaching to her elbows, every strand curling and twisting in some direction, just like her father. She wore a large t-shirt that fell just above her knees, 'The Cure' written in big letters on it. This little angel, completely human despite her unnaturally short height, kept _me_ human. Her bright green eyes, which was one of the only traits she inherited from me, glared angrily at me. My daughter, Katie, stood there waiting for an answer.

"What noise, darling?" I questioned. I closed the door behind me and then crouching in front of her, matched her height. I flitted my hand to the strands of hair that hung in front of her face and pushed it to the side, tucking it back behind her ear.

"The noise! That person's voice and bang against the door!" She yelled impatiently. Her hand swatted my own away, causing me to frown. She crossed her arms again.

"I tripped on that stupid door mat again, honey. And that man was Mr. Doebler from next door. He was asking if I was alright, and we talked a little before I came in." I answered evenly, having lied to her about dates before.

"Liar!"

"Sweetie, it's time for bed... Where's Sydney?" I questioned, suddenly looking around and discovering her absence. A knot formed in my chest at the thought of losing yet _another_ babysitter and having my baby home alone for hours. A sigh escaped the little girl's mouth.

"_Well_... she started it! I mean, I was just minding my own business-"

"Katie... you need to stop doing this! That's the tenth babysitter this month!" I groaned as I latched my arms around her in a tight hug. "_What am I going to do with you?"_ I grumbled.

"_Mom!_ Let go of me!" She yelled as she pushed me away. Reluctantly I let her go. "I don't need a babysitter!"

"We've been over this. You're not staying home alone until your thirteen or proven yourself responsible. Each time I leave you alone you either trash the house and run up the phone bill."

"That was months ago! I'm better now! I hate you!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, and than ran at full speed to her room located at the other end of the living room. I watched her leave and slam the door shut behind her. Loud music started blasting from behind the door. A sigh escaped my lips as I walked over to the couch and plumped down on it, then rubbing my temples and mentally preparing for a sleepless night.

"Just like her father..." I muttered. Some kind of timer went off in the kitchen, sounding the finished result of a cooked piece of food. I think it was the microwave. Possibly. There are so many damn alarms in that kitchen that I can never tell which one goes to what. Katie is always cooking something...

"I'll take that as a compliment." A familiar voice rang from the other side of the room. My head turned to the owner of that voice, frowning at the man as he bit into a hot pocket. "These are fucking good, have you tried them?" He asked with a full mouth, causing me to roll my eyes. "And it's not good to lie to her, you know. Little devil is sharper than a butcher knife She also got that from me."

"I'm a pathological liar, born and bred. And don't tell me how to raise my daughter." I snapped. "How long have you been here?"

"A couple hours. Are you sure that girl isn't an alp? She sure knows how to torture the hell out of babysitters." He asked. His jagged and unnatural lips curved into a smile that could scare the devil himself, lines on his face moving with them. His eyes, darker than the night sky, had lines tattooed around them reaching an inch long. His hat, the boy's most precious possession, was a fraying straw hat that you would see on a scarecrow in a horror movie. He wore dark brown suspenders and to add to his terror outfit, had various pieces of fabric _sewn_ onto his skin.

"Why have you been here so long?" I questioned.

"I thought I'd keep an eye on her, since she was alone. Make sure she didn't get into any trouble or anything." He said, causing me to blink in surprise. Zach, being _responsible_? "Plus you'd probably kill me if I didn't." He added at the end, chuckling softly. A soft smile played at my lips at his little excuse.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. And you should add a few years to yourself. I think she's starting to wonder why you still look twenty." He commented between his bites of hot pocket.

"One of the many things I hate about being 'human'." I frowned, knowing he was right. I was prolonging it... doing only _very_ subtle things. A few gray hairs I knew she'd find, changing my taste in clothing a bit...

"So who was that guy out there?" He asked.

"No one." I replied, suddenly turning my head when I heard Katie's door open. Linkin Park drifted into the room as the girl stomped past me and into the small kitchen. I heard her open the microwave and growl in frustration, completely missing the black cat with a hat that now sat in the corner.

"Where's my hot pocket!?" She yelled, coming out to cross her arms and glare at me.

"I was so upset when you yelled at me that I tried to eat my problems away. I'm going to get fat now, I'm sorry." I said dramatically, causing her to glare harder. "You have school tomorrow young lady, and you can have a hot pocket when you get home. Scoot ta bed, and don't let the bed bugs bite." I said in my 'motherly voice'. She sighed again but obeyed. She came over and gave me a quick hug and kiss, refusing my offer to tuck her in, and walked back into her rock music room. The music never ceased volume, but I knew that she would be asleep at her drawing covered desk within the hour.

The black cat padded his way over to me and jumped on the cushion next to me.

"She needs to meet you sometime, Zach." I said, watching as he morphed into his regular form.

"Hmph. She'd run away screaming the second she saw me." He muttered as he reached for the remote. The tv fluttered to life, and a list of recorded shows came up. "'Days of Our Lives'? Seriously?"

"It's for a job, you dork."

"An _alp_ job?" He asked, the tattoos once again turning and twisting with his smile.

"It's not like I gave up that part of me _completely_... I'm still a mara, whether I try to ignore it or not. And it's for the bitch that lives in the apartment below us. She complains about the most ridiculous things, and watches this frighteningly addicting show."

"I still don't understand why you base _nightmares_ off tv. It's not like anyone would be scared if 'Hinata died' or 'Cassy kissed Sam even though they're both married to Jesus in Nevada'. And it's easier for them to catch you that way, too."

"It's better than repeating the exact same thing for every person. All _you_ do is put them in a cornfield and show up. Where's the fun in that?" I countered, watching him look back to the tv as he flicked through the channels.

"I do more than that... I add some raping time if the house is empty." I rolled my eyes again.

"You need a girlfriend, dude."

"So what about _your_ boyfriend, _Dean_? I thought you were going for ladies, Miss Curious? Though, I have to admit, he was pretty cute." He asked, smiling once more but never turning from the tv. His hand repeatedly pushed at the buttons, straining to find something to fit his fancy.

"Lesbian women aren't as great as they used to be... They're either way too butch, preppy, or too shy for any conversation what-so-ever. Dean is a cop from a couple towns over. He's one of those 'too good to be true' ones... which is probably true."

"It's not in our nature to settle down with humans, so just enjoy it while it lasts. Drop in for some of his dreams?"

"I think he's a hunter." I said bluntly. He turned from the tv to look at me, freezing in place.

"You're dating a _hunter_? Do you know what kind he is?"

"'Kind'?"

"A mother hunter, just hunter, or bounty hunter? I mean does he kill anything remotely supernatural, just kill the carnivores and murderers, kill for the money...?" He trailed, hoping I got the point. I shrugged.

"I don't think he kills for money, he's not very flashy. I'm pretty clean, though, so I doubt it'll be a problem."

"Hellie, _find out_. I ain't gunna take care of your kid if you die."

"Psh, if I die I'll come back and put a barrier around you two. I'm carefull dude, don't worry."

"Helena..." He groaned, tilting his head and looking at me expectantly.

"Besides, I thought you didn't care about us?"

"I don't care about _her_, it's you I worry about. Alps aren't known to be good parents... nor lovers..." He spoke, lowering his voice for the last part. We both sighed, and I snuggled myself deeper into the couch. I rested my head on his shoulder as he went back to watching tv.

"You're wrong." I whispered, taking his hand in mine. He pulled his hand out and shifted his arm behind me, pulling me closer.

"I wish." He muttered back. "If I _was_ wrong, hunters wouldn't be killing us endlessly. I told you about Chris, right?"

"No... What happened to him?" I asked, closing my eyes I started to drift. Chris, Zach's best friend, was older than both of us put together. When Zach first left home on his own to pursue his 'alp behaviors', Chris helped him out and showed him the ropes. He's the wisest and oldest alp we've ever met.

"He was on his usual routine... scaring the shit out of people as usual, when it turned out one of the people was a demon. Some hunter got them mixed up and killed Chris instead."

"How do you know that?" I asked, now more awake and staring at him with wide eyes.

"Because I met the hunter... he referred to the mistake as 'killing two birds with one stone'." He said in a low voice, never taking his eyes off the screen. I closed my eyes again and snuggled into him.

"Jeez... I'll break it off with Dean tomorrow."


End file.
